Toy airplane



Nov. 17, 1931. E. BTWILDER ET AL 1,832,169

TOY AIRPLANE Filed Dec. 30, 1929 2 Sheets-Shet l Nov. 17, 1931. E. B. WILDER ET AL TOY AIRPLANE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 30 1929 Patented Nov. 17, 1931 rrsn srATEs ATENT oF FIcE EDWARD B. WILDER AND WENTWORTI-I' WILDER, OF ST. LOUIS, AND BRYDON BERTRAM BAKER,-OF UNIVERSITY CITY, MISSOURXL? ASSTGNOBS '10 WILDEB. MANUFACTUR- ING COMPANY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A OORFOR-ATION OF MISSOURI TOY AIRPLANE This invention relates to toy airplanes, and with regard to certain more specific features, to toy airplanes of the self-propellingtype.

Among the objects of this invention may be noted the provision of a toy airplane of the self-propelling type which is capable of sustained flight of more than several minutes duration; an airplane of the type described which is characterized by its lightness in weight and strength of construction; an airplane of the type described which simulates in appearance a real airplane; a toy airplane which can'readilybe adjusted to perform stunts characteristic of real airplanes, including changes in vertical and horizontal flight; a toy airplane of the class described which is easily assembled anddisassembled, and which, when disassembled, occupies a minimum of storage space; a toy airplane of the class described which will not be irreparably damaged by crashes; and a toy airplane of the class described which is cheaply and easily fabricated, requiring a minimum of special tools and the like. Other objects will be in part obvious andin part pointed out hereinafter. J

The invention accordingly comprisesthe elements and combinations of elements, features of construction, and arrangements of parts which will be exemplified in the structure hereinafter described, and the scope of the application of which will be indicatedin the following claims.

In the accompanying drawings, in which is illustrated one of various possible embodiments of the invention,

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the. assembled airplane; V

Fig, 2 is a side elevation of the assembled airplane; i

Fig. 3 is a front 'elevationof the assembled airplane; I p

- Fig. 4 is a fragmentary side elevation of the front end of the assembled airplane, showing certain parts in section and certain parts in detail;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary side elevation of the rear end of the assembled airplane;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary top plan view of the rear end of the assembled airplane showingtheladjustm'ent ofcertain parts;

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a landing I gear saddle Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a saddle; Fig. 9 is a front'view of a propeller; and, Fig. 10 is a section taken substantially on line 1010 of Fig. 9.

Similar reference characters indicate corseveral preferablycomprises a stick of wood of recs tangular cross-section, of sufficient strength to withstand the strains to-which-itwill be put as described hereinafter. The dimensions of the fuselage depend entirely upon the size of the toy airplane.

Mounted on'thefrontv end of the fuselage 1 is a propeller support 3, which is preferably die-cut from sheet metal, in one piece. The support 3, as shown. in Fig. 4:, comprises a socket portion 5, which is clamped onto the fuselage 1, and a downwardly extending tab 7. The tab 7 has folded ribs 9 along thesides thereof to strengthen it. Itis desirable that the ribs .9 engage or abut the ends of the socket portion 5, sothat the tab 7: is rigid in relation to said socket 5. In the lowerportion of said tab 7 .is pressed a boss or hemispherical raised portion 11,.whioh serves to form a propeller bearing. Through the center of the boss 11 is a hole 13 to accommodate jarpropeller shaft 15 to be described. I

Apropeller l'Zis illustrated'in Fig.9. It is preferably stamped from sheet metal, and for lightness, aluminum is most desirable. The propeller 17 comprises two blades 19 which are joined by a central portion2l.

The blades 19 are given the customary pro ribs 23 serve asa brace to prevent the pro peller 17 from bending at the central portion 21. A central hole 25 permits the passage of the propeller shaft 15. A boss 27 is pressed on the rear side ofthe propeller 17. Tabs 29 are stamped from the central portion 21 of the propeller 17 to secure said shaft 15 in position. Before assembly, these tabs 29 stand at right angles to the surface of the propeller.

The boss 17 is in bearing contact with the boss 11 formed on thepropeller support 3. These hemispherical bosses 17 and 11 inaddition to reducing the frictional bearingsurface between the propeller 17 and its support 3 afford protective means for said pro- .peller and its shaft when it crashes into an object; for example, in a crash where the impact occurs at the end of one of the blades 19. A bending moment is transmitted through blade .19 and central portion 21 to the shaft 15'. This bending moment is however, deterred and does not bend or otherwise harm the propeller since said propeller is free to move under the force of the impact by virtue of the rolling contact between the bosses 17 and 11. v

The method of attaching the propeller shaft 15 to the propeller is novel, in that it requires no welding, soldering or the like. A piece of wire has formed therein a pair of loops 31 of the conformation shown in Fig. 9. The one end of the wire is cut,as at nu meral 33, in front of the propeller, while the other end'35 extends backwardly in a direction normal to the plane of the loops 31. The end 35 is inserted into the hole 25, and the loops 31 placed in position over the tabs 29. The tabs 29 are then bent firmly downward to holdthe shaft 15 rigidly to the propeller 17. This engagementis more clearly shown in Fig. 10. The end 3501? the shaft 15 is then formed into a hook 37.

A landing gear saddle 39 is shown in Fig. 7, whereit will be seen that it comprises a strip 4 1,- preferably of stamped metal (aluminum being desirable because of its lightness), with end extensions 4-3 bent downwardly at right angles to said strip 41. Centered inthe extensions 43 are square holes 45, which are slightly larger in area than the cross section of the fuselage 1.

Referring again to Fig. 4, there is illustrated at numeral 47 a V-shaped landing gear support, which is preferably die-cut from fiber or other semi-flexible material. Two of these supports 47 are provided, one for each side of the fuselage 1, as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 3. At the top of the supports 47 are a pair of horizontal extensions 49. Atthe bottom of the V is provided a hole 51 to accommodate'the bolt 53 which holds a landing wheel 55 to the support 47. Washers ing gear supports 47 are slightly bowed so that the wheels 55 are more nearly vertical than they would ordinarily be. This bowed effect is introduced by making the width at thetop of the V-shaped supports 47 greater than the length of the saddle 39.

The supports 17 and the wheels 55, together with the attachments thereto, constitute the landing gear of the airplane.

At numeral 59 in Fig. -1 are shown the wings of the airplane. The wings, made as one piece, are substantially rectangular in I may be provided, depending uponthe size of the wing. The braces 63, 65,67 and 69 are all die cut from a single piece of wood, withthe grain running lengthwise witli' the wing. It is to be understood that light, tough fiber'or the like may be substituted for wood in the framework 61. i

3 Completely enveloping the framework- 61,

on both sides thereof, is glued orotherwise affixed the paper or other covering material 71. The covering material 71 is referably tough and strong, and light in weight. It is stretched tightly over the framework 61 before gluing. The covering 71 may have printed thereon advertisinglegends, designs or the like, thereby renderin'g'the airplane more attractive to the eye. A protective taping 72 is securely fastened around the center of the wings 59 to prevent unusual wearing of said wings.

The framework 61 is slightly bentnear the middle thereof so that the wings 59 make a slight dihedral angle with each other. This dihedral angle aids in sustaining flight over comparatively long periods of time, and in stabilizing the airplane while in flight. Similarly, the wings may be warped slightly from leading to trailing edge,- giving them a camber such as the wings-of real airplanes have. This camber ofthe wings aids said wings in increasing their lifting power.

Itis to be noted that the wings 59 have a high aspect ratio (the aspect ratio being defined as the ratio of thespan, or total length,

of the wings, to their chord, or maximum distance-from leading edge to trailing edge). A hlgh aspect ratio 1s desirable in airplanes which travel at a comparatively'low rateof speed, .as-is the case with the present toy airplane.

At numeral 73in Fig. l is illustrated a stabilizer. The stabilizer 78 is shaped similarly to the wings 59, but is considerably smaller in size. The stabilizer- 73 mayfbe constructed in. the ribbed manner of the wings 59, or it may be die-cut from a solid piece of fiber or woodor the like. A notch 75 divides the rearward portion of the stabilizer 73 into two sections 77, which simulate elevators on real airplanes. The function of the stabilizer 73 is to keep the airplane.

from tilting to a vertical position in flightby keeping the tail up. In other words, the stabilizer maintains the longitudinal stability of the airplane, while the dihedral angle, camber, and'aspect ratio of the wings 59 tend to preserve the lateral stability.

In Fig. 5 is shown at numeral 7 9 a rudder. The rudder 79 is approximately trapezoidal in shape, with the upper end rounded. It is preferably composed of a thin wood frame 81, covered by a paper or other covering material 83 on all sides thereof, in the-same man'- ner as the wings 59 are covered. At the bottom of the rudder 7 9 are athxed on each side by means of staples 85, one of a, pair of supports or guides 87. These guides 87 are short pieces or strips of wood. They extend forwardly of the rudder 79, and have notches 89 therein. to engage a saddle 91 to be de-' scribed. These guides 87 are shown in plan inFig.6. v r r The tail piece is shown at numeral 93in Figs. 2, 5 and 6. It comprises a piece of spring wire, bentas shown in these figures'to encircle the fuselage 1 with aloop 95, to form a hook 97, and to form .a skid 99: The resiliency of the wire, which is nevertheless quite stiff, permits a landing of the airplane without appreciable jar, as will be described hereinafter. o s i Wire saddles 91 and 101 are provided for aflixing the stabilizer 73 and wings 59, respectively, to the fuselage 1. In Fig. 8 is shown a perspective view of the saddle 91. The saddle 101 is similar to the saddle 91, except as hereinafter provided. The saddles 91 and 101 are substantially U-shaped, with right angle ex-:

tensions 103 from the legs of the U. At the end-s of the extensions 103 are hooks 105. The distance between the legs of the U is approximately the width of the fuselage, while the length of the legs of the U is the sum of the thickness ofthe fuselage 'l and'the thickness of the Wings 59in the caseof saddle 101, and the sum of the thickness offthe fuselage 1, the thickness of the stabilizer 73, and the thickness of the rudder supports 87 at the notches 89 in the casev of saddle 91.

The airplane is assembled in the following manner:

The landing-gear saddle 39 is first placed in position on the fuselage 1 by inserting the rear endof said fuselage 1 into the holes 15 in the extension 13, and moving said saddle 39 forwardly until it nearly touches the permanently mounted propeller support 3, as shown in Fig. 4. Next a rubber band, such as indicated at numeral 107 is hung freely around the fuselage 1 and the saddle 39.'

The V-supports 47 are now placed in position by inserting the horizontal extensions 49 into the holes 45 in the extensions 43 ofthe landing gear saddle .39. One V-support is placed on each side of the fuselage 1. The wheels 55 are mounted on the V-supports 47 ashereinbefore described. 1

The V-supports 17,11ow in position on the fuselage 1, are spread apart as indicated'in Fig. 3-. This positioning enables them tohold the plane in upright position, and provides a resilient landing gear, which, by reason of its flexibility, prevents sudden shocks, such as' occur in crashes, from reaching the more deliing upwardly and the extensions 103 lying forwardly on top of the wings 59. The'free hanging rubber band 107j is now drawn up, across the top of wings59, and hooked onto the hooks 105 of the extensions 103. Thus the wing 59 is resiliently but firmly fixed to the fuselage 1. p p

The tailpiece 93 is placedin position on the fuselage 1, with the hook 97 facing backwardly and theskid 99 dragging.

' Next the tail assembly is completed. The rudder 79 is placed in position on top of the fuselage 1, in the same plane and extending upwardly from said fuselage. The saddle 91' is hooked, U-portiondownwardly, extensions rearwardly, over the notches 89in the rudder supports 87. The stabilizer 73 is then placed in position beneath the fuselage 1, and beneath the rudder 79, the notch facing backwardly' and the stabilizer 73 per se be ing between the fuselageand the extensions 103 of the saddle 91. A rubber band 109 is now hooked onto the hooks on the extensions 1030f the saddle 91, and drawn backwardly under. the stabilizer 73 and hooked on to the fuselage 1; thus securing the stabilizer 7 3 and the rudder 79 resiliently but firmly to the fuselage 1.

The propeller shaft 27 is now inserted through the hole 25; of the propeller support 3 on the front end of the fuselage 1. A number of heavy rubber bands or the like, such as indicated atynumeral '111.in Fig. 2, are' now placed over the hook 37 of the propeller shaft 15, and'over the hook-97 of the tail piece93. Tl1e-stretched rubber bands 111- form' the .motive power, for flying the airplane. f s m p It will be seen that, while idle, the airplane rests on the wheels55 and the skid 99.

Motive power for flying the airplane is suppliedv by revolving the propeller 17 in the proper direction (depending upon the pitch direction of said propeller), thus twisting the elastic rubber band motor 111, and storing up a twisting force therein. After sufficient winding, the propeller is released and allowed to rotate under the influence of the elastic,

' 59, causingthe airplane to climb. If the wings 59 are placed too far toward the front, the plane will either loop'the loop? or stall. \Vhen, on the other hand,the wings 59are moved toward the rear, the center of gravity moves rearwardly, giving a lesser vacuum pull'on the top of the wings 59, thereby causing the airplane to dive. The relative spacing for sustained horizontal flight varies with the airplane, but it is generally of the nature of that shown in Fig. I Change of direction in the horizontal plane, or turning, is accomplished by rotating the rudder'79, which isheldto the fuselage by the saddle 91 only. Such a change in rudder direction is illustrated in dotted lines in Fig.

6. Pushing the rear end of the rudderto the right will cause the airplane toturn to the right, and pushing the rudderto the left will cause a turn to the left.

It will thus be seen that cont-rolof direction is had in both the vertical and horizontal planes. By combinations ofthetwo controls,

the airplane can be made to perform many attractive stunts, such'as Fwing overs, spirals, and tail spins.

The resilient construction. obtaining its chief expression in the landing-gear, skid, the propeller and its mounting, and themetheds-of fasteningthe wingsand stabilizerto the fuselage, protects the airplane from serious injury resulting from crashes; most crashes resulting only in a temporary displacement of parts. which is instantaneously and easily repairable.

It will be noted that the wings and stabilizer provide excellent space for advertising legends, designs and the like.

In view of theabove, it will be seen that the several objects ofthe invent-ion are achieved and other advantageous results attained. V P

As many changes could be made in carrying out the above constructions without departing from the scope of the'invention, it

is intended that all matter contained in the above description orshown'in theaccom We claim:

1 1. In combinatiom'a's a toy airplane,.afuseairplanes, a propeller, a propeller support and a propeller shaft, said propeller having blades and a central portion, said central porlion-having at least, two pressed parallel longitudinal ribs therein adapted to strengthon said propeller, a pair of tabs in saidcentral portion positioned between said ribs adapted to engage said shaft whereby said shaft is bent tobracesaid propeller, a hemispherical boss pressed in the central portion o-fsaid propeller and as'econd hemispherical boss pressed in said propeller support, said bosses engagingto permit rolling contact be tween said propeller and said propeller support, S11Cll3OSS8SblI1g adapted to permit passage of said propeller shaft.

' 3. The pending gear for toy airplanes comprisinga saddle adapted to engage the fuselage of a toy airplane, a pair of V supports, said supports having horizontal extending tabs atthe top of the Vs adapted to engage said saddle," said supports being wider at the top of the V s than the length of said saddle, whereby said supportsare caused to bow when they are positioned with said tabs in said saddle, and wheels rotatably mounted at the bottom of said V-supports. V 4:. The landing gear for toy airplanes comprising a saddle adapte-d'toengage the-fuselage of atoy airplane, a pair of resilient V- supports, said supports having horizontal extending tabs at the top of the Vs adapted to engage said saddle, said supports being wider at the top of; the Vs than the length of said saddle, whereby said supports are caused to how when they-are positioned with said tabs in said saddle, and wheels rotatably mountedat the bottom of said V-supports;

In testimony whereof, we have signed our names to this specification this QOthday of December, 1929' V t EDWVARD B. VVILDER.

lVENTlVOR-TH WVILDER. BRYDON BERTRAM BAKER. 

